By Mocking Indian
India is gearing for general elections this summer. Indians usually make their vote count. Political players are on overdrive to influence the electorate. Narendra Modi’s sponsored page ceaselessly appears on the sidebar of my Facebook page, though my attention was recently diverted by everybody’s, including my FB movie.
It does feel great to star in a film even if I viewed it maximum number of times. There is no guarantee, however, that every Modi Like will translate into a click on the EVM (electronic voting machine) button for the BJP.
India is too vast and diverse for a sponsored FB page or millions twitter following to determine an election. Without doubt Modi considers zealous social media netizens to be a core constituency. Given nature of India’s first past the post (FPTP) ballot, Modi knows too well the slightest swing in his favor can make difference between victory and defeat.
Beyond the virtual world, opinion polls favorite Modi has been traversing the country addressing massive rallies, appealing to students, chai wallas, dalits, backward castes, upper castes, north easterners. This proves real pulse of the nation lies in streets, alleys and by-lanes. Not inside TV studios with simultaneously speaking guests, as Arnab Goswami would like us to believe.
After years of aloofness from everybody except a select few insiders, Rahul Gandhi allowed himself to be interviewed on TV for the country to figure out the real him. Maybe he should have chosen to remain an enigma. The interaction with Arnab reaffirmed beliefs the Gandhi scion desperately needs to move out of introspection to performance mode. After all, people voted for the Congress party to change their lives for the better, not for Gandhi to discover truth.
Rahul tried to enlighten us about his profound thoughts – changing the system, empowering women, rooting out corruption. Is this supposed to be complicated or what?
The newspapers are splashed with half page posters of Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi (both smiling for a change) claiming successful social welfare schemes, efficacy of which cannot be simply determined. The only certainty is a depleting exchequer.
India’s growth rates, meanwhile, have dipped to levels that can only mean downhill for most and failure of policy. Beyond Congress and BJP, others too fancy their chances to rule the Delhi durbar or at least call the shots like Left parties did between 2004 and 2009.
Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aami Party (AAP’s) is sadly turning out to be the Poonam Pandey of Indian politics, looking to dominate news headlines by hook or crook, allegations, dharnas, bombastic statements.
Running a government is not about making headlines. Even Pandey does on twitter streaming her private pics.In cricket parlance Kejriwal and his core group want to hit a six every ball. Virendra Sehwag tried for a while and has been dropped for good.
To keep up the tempo, minister Somnath Bharti entered homes of women at night accusing them of being prostitutes. Gauging recent developments, AAP has been looking for excuses to vote itself out of power. And succeeded.
Kejriwal has resigned over the Jan Lokpal Bill perhaps fancying his chances as a future PM of India. The people of Delhi have reason to feel betrayed. If the emergence of AAP dented BJP’s performance in the Delhi elections, their desperate shenanigans could benefit Modi in general elections.
Away from the din of national media, the three queen bees of Indian politics, Mamata Banerjee, Mayawati and Jayalalithaa, street smart, power hungry, mean and ruthless, can never be pushovers.
As Atal Behari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh found out, these ladies can make any government go down on its knees to have their way. And given nature of coalition politics, each one also fancies their chance for top job this year, instead of just being power behind the throne. I do feel sorry for Nitish Kumar though. He is a good man who seems to have played his cards wrong. Nitish has unfortunately sidelined himself while his intention was to trip Modi. Thankfully, DMK, political party cum corrupt business enterprise, looks to be staring at defeat.
Courtesy : Mockingindian
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